Emergency Situation with Exploding Elderflower Wine.

[Cligereen]

Well folks,

I think I've made a great big pig's ear out of my 2 gallons of elderflower wine that I started about 2 hours ago

I was following the recipe in the Ish Bible which said add 25g of champagne yeast per gallon. Of course, I couldn't get champagne yeast in our local chemist, so I added ordinary wine yeast. The only thing is, now I'm beginning to think that champagne yeast and the ordinary wine yeast are not quite the same That is mainly because 2 hours after adding the 25g of ordinary yeast and sugar, the demi-johns look like mount Vesuvius, with yeasty 'lava' flowing out of the top of the airlock and pouring into a bowl underneath!

What's going to happen do you think? Will it make an extra stong brew (which would be quite acceptable ) Or will it be ruined altogether? I'll be sorely miffed if I have to chuck it all away

Any advice would be most welcome. On the upside though, the house does now smell like a bakery, which is quite nice

Clig.

[Rosendula]

I think it will be OK. Keep your eye on it and keep it in the sink or even outside tonight. Have you an airlock fitted? While it's frothing out of the top, nothing can get in so you don't need one, but of course as soon as it stops frothing out, flies can get in and ruin it, and you can bet you won't be around at the time If you have an airlock fitted, keep your eye on it as it might need a good rinse out when things have calmed down. If you don't have one in, put a clean cloth over the top when you want to go to bed, so if it calms down during the night it won't be open to the flies.

[Cligereen]

Thanks Rosendula,

I do have airlocks in them, but as you say, they're going to need some serious rinsing when it calms down. Do you think the finished wine will taste OK?

[Rosendula]

I don't have the best track record with non-kit home-made wine, so I can't really answer that. In fact, I gave in a few years ago. I'm hoping to try again this year, but I'm a red winer, so it will be a little while yet.

[RobHed]

Eek - I am going to the Downs in Bristol tomorrow night to gather elderflower to make wine - I'm a bit nervous now !!

[Rosendula]

Eek - I am going to the Downs in Bristol tomorrow night to gather elderflower to make wine - I'm a bit nervous now !!

If you have a big mash bin (you know, the big white buckets you make beer in), you could make it in that and then transfer it after the initial volcano-fermentation thing. If you do only have demijohns to make it in, either sit it in the sink or bath or something, or don't put all the water in straight away. Perhaps keep a pint out at first and add it after it's calmed down. I've not tried that. It's just an idea, so if someone thinks that won't work, please do say.

[MKG]

Yep - good advice from Rosendula. It isn't the yeast - it's just the warm weather. It's yeast paradise. And this is the reason a lot of recipes tell you to only 3/4 fill the demijohn - then top up when the initial fermentation has died down. You live and learn

It won't harm the final product at all - you'll just get there a little quicker.

Mike

PS - just wait for the stories of bottles exploding in the shed to start coming in.

PPS - not that it made any difference, but 25 grams of yeast per gallon is an awful lot. One level teaspoon is plenty.

[boboff]

For sure, all recipes for wine should be started in a Bucket covered with a T Towel I think.

[RobHed]

I store all my wine and beer in the cupboard under the stairs where we keep our coats and I am sure that my little 10-year old girl goes to school smelling of beer sometimes.......

[Zaf]

PS - just wait for the stories of bottles exploding in the shed to start coming in.

not in the shed but we had about a dozen bottles explode in our bedroom, the mess was horrific

word of warning, dont put anything frothing over in the bath, I did it one year with a demi-john of tea wine and it took the enamel off the bath tasted lovely when bottled though

[RobHed]

PS - just wait for the stories of bottles exploding in the shed to start coming in.

not in the shed but we had about a dozen bottles explode in our bedroom, the mess was horrific

word of warning, dont put anything frothing over in the bath, I did it one year with a demi-john of tea wine and it took the enamel off the bath tasted lovely when bottled though

Tea wine ! Do you have a recipe or is it in the book ? Can I use Earl Grey or does have to be bog-standard ?

[Zaf]

PS - just wait for the stories of bottles exploding in the shed to start coming in.

not in the shed but we had about a dozen bottles explode in our bedroom, the mess was horrific

word of warning, dont put anything frothing over in the bath, I did it one year with a demi-john of tea wine and it took the enamel off the bath tasted lovely when bottled though

Tea wine ! Do you have a recipe or is it in the book ? Can I use Earl Grey or does have to be bog-standard ?

I'll look it out for you when I get home from work, its in an old book I got from my gran and I think they used it in the war, I used tea bags to make mine!

[oldhaus]

"patience grasshopper" .... the yeasts are just having a PARTY! ... in a few days they will settle down.

It is almost Elderberry Flower Season here, never tried them. Think I'll see if I can try. I k now I want to make Elderberry Fruit wine, always a favorite :)

I'll see if I can dig out my recipe of both & we can compare

just make sure the air lock is filled and clean :) you'll be fine!

JLH

[RobHed]

I have just noticed that on page 266 for the elderflower wine recipe it states that 25 grams of champagne yeast should be used. I have checked this out with a few online recipes and with 3 different home brewing shops and their opinions are that it should only be 2.5 grams, thus this may well be an erratum - can Andy or Dave confirm or deny this ?

[red]

PPS - not that it made any difference, but 25 grams of yeast per gallon is an awful lot. One level teaspoon is plenty.

i agree - 1 tsp of wine yeast per gallon is plenty. I tend to leave a reasonably big air gap when i first put wine in a demijohn, then top up with cooled boiled water once the manic stage is over.